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Contents
Put the good one on the front	1
Olympic Park - not just for beginner riders	2
World Masters Games - a personal account	3
Nov 09 Tour de Femme	6
My Great Auction Buy	6
Cycling South Australia – It’s hard to beat!	7
Gears: A Primer	8
The 9th Bike North Century Challenge	9
Calendar
Other Editions

Editor:Gloria Blonde
Production:Keith Griffin

The views expressed in Chain Mail articles are those of the authors only and do not necessarily represent either the common views shared by a majority of Bike North members, or Bike North policy as formulated by the Bike North Executive Committee.

Put the good one on the front

A situation we all wish to avoid is the front tyre failing by puncture or blowout. If the front tyre fails our bikes are difficult to steer and we may run off the road. Depending on speed and direction this may end with serious consequences!!

Due to rider weight distribution and the driving work done by the rear wheel your rear tyre will invariably wear faster than the front tyre. Some cyclists are tempted to swap the front and rear tyres to even out the wear, but this will put the most worn tyre into the most critical position. No, no, no.

The recommended plan is to wear the rear tyre out to the level at which it is no longer useful. This point varies by individual and could be when punctures start to occur regularly or when enough rubber is worn away. Some tyres have little holes or tread marks to indicate when they are worn out.

When the rear tyre is worn out, the front tyre is worn too, but probably less than half of the rear. If you place this half-worn tyre on the rear you can put a new tyre on the front to reduce risk of a front tyre incident.

The half worn rear tyre will wear out faster than the previous new tyre and the front tyre will probably be only about one quarter worn the next time the swap occurs. As you keep going you will find that tyres spend about half their time on the front wearing from new to about one third worn, then half their time on the back, from one third worn to throw out.

Of course if either the front or rear tyre suffers damage to the carcass, treads or sidewall, then you should not keep using it. Throw it away. If it is the front then a new tyre goes on there. If it is the rear, the front goes to the rear and the new tyre on the front.